Gochugaru is Korean red chilli powder, made from sun-dried chillies that are deseeded and crushed into coarse, bright red flakes. It gives kimchi and many other Korean dishes their colour and their fruity, moderate heat.
What does it taste like?
Fruity and slightly smoky, with a heat that builds gradually rather than hitting all at once. It is milder than most Western chilli flakes, and the flavour is more rounded thanks to the sun-drying process.
How to use it
Stir it into kimchi, marinades, and stews, or sprinkle it over noodles and eggs as a finishing touch. It comes in coarse and fine grinds. Coarse is standard for kimchi and banchan, while fine grind suits pastes and sauces, including gochujang itself.
A substitute
There is no exact match, since regular chilli flakes are hotter and lack the fruity depth. See our gochugaru substitute guide for the closest swaps and how much to use.
Get some from our where to buy gochugaru guide, then put it to use in gochujang chicken, made from the paste gochugaru becomes once fermented.
FAQ
Is gochugaru the same as chilli flakes?
Not quite. Regular chilli flakes are usually hotter and sharper, while gochugaru has a milder, fruitier heat from the sun-drying process used to make it.
Is gochugaru the same as gochujang?
No. Gochugaru is the dried chilli flake or powder. Gochujang is a fermented paste made partly from gochugaru, combined with glutinous rice and fermented soybeans.
How spicy is gochugaru?
Mild to moderate, roughly similar to a mild chilli powder, though heat varies a little between brands and batches.
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- Gochugaru, coarse grind. The everyday choice for kimchi and stews.
